Prismatic: A Series of NextGen Drabbles
by Orpheia Kore
Summary: A peek into the minds and lives of the next generation. ON HIATUS
1. So Like Your Mother

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. In case it isn't obvious.

A/N: This will be an ongoing series of short pieces...think of them as snapshots of my version of the next-gen world. There is no planned sequence of events, no plot... I'm just seeing where the characters take me. Oh, and I'll probably make up a few as well...

1. So Like Your Mother

One of Rose's first memories is of her Aunt Audrey cooing at her, "My, you are like your mother, aren't you? Except for the red hair, of course. Weasley hair and Weasley freckles. But no doubt you've a brilliant mind beneath those curls!" At the time, Rose was thrilled to be compared to her mother, who was everything she wanted to be. She tried hard to emulate her by reading and studying, and everyone simply assumed that Rose had inherited her mother's intelligence. That set a pattern, and so it continued.

Rose tries hard to be brilliant, but she isn't that smart, just a little beyond average. Deep down, she knows she will never get there. The thought frightens her, so she pushes the fright into determination. The determination warps into a need for control and a tendency to manage. She manages Al, who is so easygoing and placid once separated from his brother James that she runs over him like a steamroller, and she manages Lily, who idolizes her and would probably follow her lead anyway. She tries to manage Hugo as well, with little Mum-like orders-- "Wash your hands, Hugo!" "Wear a hat, Hugo!" "Hugo, do your homework!"-- but he only rolls his eyes or snaps back snottily. Rose has a sneaking suspicion that Hugo is much closer to brilliance than she is, but the jealousy that rises up at the thought is too painful, so she ignores it. September 1st and her first year at Hogwarts arrive almost too soon, and yet not soon enough. By the time she meets Al in front of the Hogwarts Express, she has worked herself into a froth of worry.


	2. So Like Your Father Part 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. In case it isn't obvious.

2. So Like Your Father (Part 1)

As long as Al can remember, people have commented on his resemblance to his father. It's true that they have the same green eyes and messy dark hair, but that's about the extent of their resemblance. Al is tall for his age, and pale. He's thin, as was his father, but on Harry Potter the impression it lent was one of youth and innocence, especially when combined with the owlish glasses. Al simply looks wild, in a fae sort of way, especially since his green eyes gaze out sharply at the world, unhindered by lenses of any sort.

Personality-wise, they are different again. Harry is quiet, but commanding when need be. He is respectful, polite, and considerate, though he has to try hard to control his temper sometimes. Al is quiet(as long as he is separated from James, who knows, in that intimate brotherly way, how to push all of his buttons) in a watchful way. He stays in the background, so people don't realize just how much he really knows. He understands, for example, that Rose has a deep need to be in charge, so he goes with the flow and lets her think she is. He understands that everyone feels he is destined to be just like his father, or even his namesake Professor Dumbledore, so he gives the impression that he is following in their footsteps. It bothers him, though, when James teases him about being a Slytherin, because Al knows that he can be cunning and has ambitions. He worries about what would happen if he was Sorted into Slytherin, what would happen in his family, but his father's words are a reassurance, as well as a revelation. Perhaps Al is more like his father than he thought.


	3. So Like Your Father Part 2

A/N: I realize that Hugo may seem very old for his age, but I don't really know what to do about it. Chalk it up to him being a genius, if you like.

3. So Like Your Father (Part 2)

Hugo is quite like his father in looks-- same blue eyes, red hair(albeit a few shades darker), tall and thin for his age, though his lack of Weasley freckles is conspicuous. He, too, likes chess, and can beat all his cousins soundly. Sometimes he can beat his father, too.

The resemblance ends there, however; Hugo lacks his father's jovial bonhomie and prefers to be alone. He spends a lot of time reading, first in an effort to avoid his sister Rose, and later because he finds himself interested in certain subjects. When he was 7, he once snuck into the library to read some of the more recent history books, the type his mother never allowed him to peruse. Because of this, he learned far earlier than his sister or cousins about the role his family played in the War. He read the articles once, looked up the difficult words, then read them again. Afterwards, he spent a lot of time staring at his parents, and at Uncle Harry, trying to reconcile the contrasting images of his family and the heroes of the War and the Savior of the Wizarding World.

Reading about the war teaches Hugo some awful truths about the world, and also causes a rift between him and the rest of his family. He can't fathom why his parents would hide such important details about who they were. Who did they think they were protecting? Hugo decides then and there that even good people can do bad things, which makes him think that, logically speaking, bad people can do good things as well, which in turn means that really, there is no separation between good and bad. Trying to reconcile this thought with everything he's been taught before is hard and gives him a headache, so he tries to think about other things.

He decides that he wants to be a curse breaker, like his uncle Bill who once worked in Egypt. He admires his uncle's long hair, fanged earring, and scars, creepy as they could sometimes be. Uncle Bill knew how to use a wand, how to do exciting things and best of all, he didn't need to depend on anyone else. That's what Hugo craves most of all: independence. Consequently, he is happily relieved when Rose's Hogwarts letter arrives, since it means that he will finally have some peace. He slouches along through the station, annoyed at the stares directed their way, and rolls his eyes when his father starts saying something about a family called the Malfoys. His father can be aggravatingly prejudiced at times. He watches as a blond boy-- Scorpius Malfoy-- says goodbye to his own parents, who seem composed and far less boisterous than the Weasley-Potter clan. Scorpius doesn't look evil at all, and when he pauses on his way to the train and catches Hugo's eye, Hugo simply looks back and smiles slightly.


	4. A Cataclysmic Event

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

4. A Cataclysmic Event

Lily adores Rose, has practically since birth. She often wishes that Rose could be her sister instead of having brothers like James, who is loud and annoying, and Al, who is quiet and annoying. Certainly she knows Rose would rather have her as a sister than have to put up with Hugo, who is snotty and unsociable. They even look like sisters, with red hair and freckles, though Rose's hair is brighter and Lily's is auburn. She and Rose have a special bond, and they do everything together that they possibly can. Therefore, the arrival of Hogwarts letters is the advent of a big change in Lily's life.

On any other day, she would be jumping at the chance to be free of James and Al, to have her parents all to herself, but this means losing Rose. She would gladly play with Al every day if it meant she could stay with Rose. Of course, the world is never fair, so she is stuck with Hugo for another two years before she can go to Hogwarts. Lily wants to scream and complain at the world, but right now she's sitting on Rose's bed as Rose packs her trunk and frets about going to Hogwarts, and she can tell that Rose has enough to worry about.

"Oh, I'm going get so lost, Mum says the castle is huge! What if I can't do my homework? What if my housemates don't like me? What if I'm in Hufflepuff?" Rose wails.

"You could never be in Hufflepuff, Rose," Lily replies comfortingly. "You're way too smart for that. I bet you'll be in Ravenclaw, or Gryffindor like your mum."

"You think so?" Rose nearly sags in relief. She looks carefully at Lily's face, and maybe she can see Lily's worries written there, because she adds, "I'll write to you, I promise. Every week at least, and every day if I can." This is one of the reasons why Lily loves Rose: Rose knows just what to say to make her feel better.

On the day that they all pile into the car to drop James and Al off at the station, Lily pouts and stares morosely out the window. She hears James teasing Al about being a Slytherin and has to plug her ears at the volume of the argument that follows. She hugs Rose extra tightly before she walks onto the train, trying to put four months' worth of hugs into one. Hugo, prat that he is, doesn't hug his sister at all and only offers a grudging, monosyllabic farewell. When Lily can no longer see Rose waving from the train, she turns around, catches Hugo's flat stare, and tries not to cry.


	5. A Matter Of Manners

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

5. A Matter of Manners

Rose waves out the window until the platform disappears into a cloud of steam, then turns around and sits down next to Albus, sighing.

"Want to play Exploding Snap?" Al offers, as James bursts back into the compartment dragging Cousin Fred and a gang of his friends.

"Not here, kiddies," James announces. "Go make friends with the other firsties." He unceremoniously shoves Al and Rose out of the compartment and slams the door in their faces.

"Your brother is so rude!" Rose huffs, straightening her robes. She marches down the train with Al following behind, stopping at a compartment with only one occupant.

"Let's sit here, Al, I'm sure she's lonely," Rose says. Al raises a brow, but follows when she steps in and announces, "I'm Rose and this is my cousin Albus." Turning around in time to catch Al's grimace at the use of his first name, she adds, "We can play Exploding Snap now, all three of us." She's sure this girl just needs some companionship, and in her mind she imagines them becoming the best of friends, just like her parents and Uncle Harry, who also met on the train in their first year. Then the girl opens her mouth and sends all of Rose's dreams crashing into the ground.

"Excuse me," she states coolly, "but I don't recall inviting you into my compartment. Nor did I ever give any indication that I wanted to join in whatever activity you two are pursuing." Rose sputters in shock, both at her unwelcoming attitude and the strength of her steely gaze. She's pretty, in a gothic sort of way, and something in her features reminds Rose of her cousins Dominique and Victoire, though this girl's hair is as dark as theirs is blonde.

"Well, pardon me for trying to be friendly!" she finally returns, a beat too late for the comeback to be truly effective. The girl arches one brow and waves the book in her hand indolently.

"I'm busy, in case you didn't notice. Go be friendly elsewhere," she says dismissively. Rose gasps in outrage before hauling Al out and slamming the compartment door. A glance back shows her that the girl is absorbed in her book, as if she hasn't even noticed their departure.


	6. A Different Point of View

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

6. A Different Point of View

Sofia turns another page of _Hogwarts, A History_, but her mind is focused on her encounter with Albus and Rose. Perhaps she was a little hasty in sending them on their way. After all, she is a Muggleborn, and she doesn't know anyone at this new school, nor does she have any familial connections. The name of Olivier means nothing to them.

She has read enough about this new world- _her _new world- to realize that, though the postwar policies are an improvement, being Muggleborn is still a rather large disadvantage. She bought and read nearly half of Flourish and Blotts over the summer in an effort to compensate, but it never hurts to make new friends, especially since she could tell by their behavior that they were obviously wizard-raised. All the same, something about Rose strikes her as off-putting, perhaps her innate bossiness or the arrogant way in which she assumes that others will simply do her bidding. Sofia doesn't need anyone telling her what to do.

She returns to reading about the house system while wondering absently who her father has in the studio today and how her mother and brother Max were faring back in Quebec. She thinks she might be in Slytherin at first, since she is both cunning and ambitious, but revises her opinion after reading about the founder's opinions on Muggleborns. Ravenclaw would be a good second choice, or perhaps Gryffindor, but she can't see herself ever being placed in Hufflepuff.

A tap at the compartment door draws her attention; she raises her head to see three boys standing in the doorway.

"Sorry to interrupt," one of them says, "but there aren't any free compartments. Do you mind if we join you?"

"Since you asked nicely, not at all," Sofia replies. "I'm Sofia Olivier." The boys introduce themselves as Tristan Davies, Deucalion Smith, and Gabriel Corner, all second years. As she asks them about the classes and houses at Hogwarts, Sofia is thankful to have found companions who are friendly and possess a modicum of politesse.


End file.
